Dendrobates tinctorius 'Yellowback' - Dyeing Poison Arrow Frog-

Quantity Available: 10

Defining Characteristics: Great beginner frog | Pale Yellow, White, and black coloration | Bold | Easy to breed | Quiet call | Large | Can be kept in groups when young | Best kept in pairs as adults

Name:Dendrobates tinctorius 'Yellowback'. Commonly the Dyeing Poison Dart Frog (based on an early belief that natives used brightly colored frogs to dye fabric). In the hobby, simply known as Yellowbacks or Cits. Yellowback refers to it's bright lemon yellow color.

Recommended Vivarium Size: A 10 gallon aquarium is suitable for a single Dendrobates tinctorius 'Yellowback', but Josh's Frogs recommends a 20H or 18x18x18 Vivarium for 1-3 frogs. Not sure how to set up a vivarium? Please watch our video on How to Set Up a Vivarium.

Temperature:Dendrobates tinctorius 'Yellowback' can tolerate a temperature range of 65 F to 80 F, but prefer temperatures in the low to mid 70s. Temperatures over 85F are dangerous.

Humidity: Like most poison dart frogs, Yellowbacks prefer a humidity range of 70 – 100%, but can tolerate humidity down to 50% for short periods of time if the frogs have access to water. Low humidity levels, especially without access to water, can quickly be fatal.

Size: Adult female Yellowbacks are one of the largest species of tincs, measuring in at approximately 2.5 inches. Male Yellowback are a bit smaller, averaging about 2 inches at maturity. All of the Dendrobates tinctorius 'Yellowback' froglets Josh's Frogs sells are well started juveniles, and measure approximately 1” long.

Age:Dendrobates tinctorius 'Yellowback' is capable of living well over 20 years in captivity under ideal conditions, although a lifespan of 10 years is more common. In the wild, it is thought that Yellowback may live 4-6 years. All Yellowbacks for sale at Josh's Frogs are well started juveniles, and are 2-3 months old.

Sexing:Dendrobates tinctorius 'Yellowback' is not sexable until 10-12 months of age. Male Yellowback tend to be smaller than females, which often appear both longer and wider. Males also tend to have wider front toe pads and a less defined back arch than females. Josh's Frogs sells 2-3 month old juveniles that are not sexable unless otherwise noted. For more information on sexing poison dart frogs, please visit our How-To Guide on Sexing Poison Dart Frogs.

Color/Pattern: A very variable poison dart frog, all Dendrobates tinctorius 'Yellowback' are mostly pale yellow interrupted by black spots or blotches, and no spots in some individuals. The amount of yellow can vary substantially among individuals, even siblings. Some Yellowback have yellow 'bracelets' around their front wrists. Leg color tends to be black with a varying amount of pale yellow or white. This morph of tinctorius is very variable. Some individuals show a reduced yellow coloration, where 90% of their body is black. These are sometimes referred to as 'lemon drop' tinctorius or skeleton tincs. As yellowbacks age, the yellow can fade to an almost white color. Josh's Frogs does not recommend, support, or endorse line breeding as we believe this leads to weaker captive animals and nature has done a wonderful job of creating an amazing variation in color and pattern of poison dart frogs already.

Social Behavior:Dendrobates tinctorius 'Yellowback' do well housed in groups up to sexual maturity, as long as enough space is provided. Josh's Frogs recommends approximately 10 gallons per frog. As they reach sexual maturity at 10-12 months of age, the social dynamic in a group of Dendrobates tinctorius may change, and all but one female may need to be removed. Female D. tinctorius may fight with each other over a mate. For that reason, many breeders recommend keeping Yellowbacks in pairs as adults. Josh's Frogs strongly recommends against housing different species/morphs of dart frogs - for the health of your pets, please avoid mxing! Josh's Frogs recommends purchasing multiple frogs if you are interested in breeding them – this greatly increases the chances of getting a pair.

Breeding: Yellowbacks are very simple and easy to breed. Like most Dendrobates tinctorius, Yellowbacks are best bred in pairs as adult females may fight with each other in the presence of a male. Generally, eggs are deposited on a smooth broad leaf, or on a petri dish under a cocohut. The eggs hatch into tadpoles, which then take 60-80 days to complete metamorphosis into miniature versions of the adults. For more information on breeding and raising poison dart frogs, please visit our How-To Guide on Breeding Poison Dart Frogs. Please try to breed this morph - it is quite uncommon, and in danger of disappearing from the US hobby.

Natural Range:Dendrobates tinctorius 'Yellowback' is native to Suriname, along the Maroni River, which serves as a border between Suriname and French Guiana. Some froggers suspect that Yellowbacks occur on both sides of the river, and captive animals may be a result of collections on the Suriname side, the French Guiana side, or possibly both!

History in the Hobby: First imported in the early 1990s, the early yellowbacks were originally imported from French Guiana, with later imports coming from Suriname. To add to the confusion, this species is very similar to the French Guiana tinctorius 'Atachi Bakka'.

Still not sure if Dendrobates tinctorius 'Yellowback' from Josh's Frogs is the right poison dart frog for you? Read the reviews below and see what other customers are saying!

Poison Dart Frogs are small, colorful neotropical amphibians native to Central and South America. Poison Dart frogs have greatly increased in popularity in recent years, and have become easy to care for, rewarding pets. Josh's Frogs, the largest breeder of poison dart frogs, breeds all of the poison dart frogs we sell at our breeding facility in Owosso, MI.

To view all of the healthy, captive bred frogs we currently have available, please visit our Frogs For Sale page.

Shipping for any number of frogs is just $39.99. Frogs are shipped via FedEx Priority Overnight and are delivered by 12:00 pm to most locations, Tuesday through Friday. Josh's Frogs does not ship frogs internationally. Scheduling of frog order is dependant on your availability and weather.

Please respond to our Frog Shipping Email, to ensure you will be there to receive the animals when they arrive. We'll email back to confirm after checking your local weather conditions.

We can ship directly to your address, as long as your local overnight low temperature is above 39F the night of shipping, and your high temperature is below 91F at noon on the day of arrival. If your overnight lows are below 40F but above 29F, Josh's Frogs can ship to your closest FedEx Staff Location that accepts Hold for Pickup packages. If your high temperature is over 90F at the guarantee 'delivered by' time (typically 12pm), Josh's Frogs can ship to your closest FedEx Staff Location that accepts Hold for Pickup packages. If your overnight low is below 30F, Josh's Frogs retains the right to hold frog shipping until temperatures increase due to safety concerns. We will hold the frogs at our facility for any length of time necessary to ensure that the frogs you order are received in the best of health. This policy is designed with the best interests and health of our animals at heart!

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FedEx's website will display the nearest locations where you may pick up your frogs. We'll look up the locations for you when you call to schedule frog shipping. You do not need to check your temperature before ordering frogs - Josh's Frogs will take care of this when contacted about scheduling shipment. Frog orders require contact from our customer prior to being shipped out, to ensure you will be there to receive the animals when they arrive, and to check your local weather conditions.

Shipping for any number of frogs is a flat rate $39.99. This includes postage, a box with 1" styrofoam insulation, gel packs, heat/ice packs and/or phase 22 panels if necessary. Josh's Frogs has been shipping frogs since 2004 and has shipped thousands of animals safely. We have a special contract with UPS to ship live animals directly to residential addresses and guarantee live arrival as long as our Live Arrival Conditions are met.

Josh's Frogs guarantees the Health & Live Arrival of all frogs.

All frog shipments are sent via FedEx Priority Overnight. Josh's Frogs guarantees that all frogs will arrive alive and in good health, provided that temperatures on day of arrival do not exceed 85 degrees before the frogs are delivered to home or business address, or nearest FedEx location. Temperatures during transit do not drop below 40 degrees for delivery to home or business address. Temperatures during transit do not drop below 30 degrees for pickup at the nearest FedEx location. Someone is there to accept the package on first delivery attempt, or package is picked up by noon the day of arrival if package is held at a FedEx location for pickup. Failure to meet these guidelines will void Josh's Frogs Live Arrival and Health Guarantee.

If frogs arrive deceased or in poor condition, Josh's Frogs requires that the customer notifies us of the condition of the animal(s) within 1 hour of arrival via email at info@joshsfrogs.com, or at (800) 691-8178. Picture(s) of the animal(s) must be sent by 4pm EST day of arrival to info@joshsfrogs.com. Failure to meet these guidelines will void Josh's Frogs Live Arrival and Health Guarantee.

Josh's Frogs offers a 3 day health guarantee on all animals purchased from Josh's Frogs. If animal(s) purchased arrive in good shape but fail to thrive within 3 days, Josh's Frogs requires that pictures of the animal(s) and their habitat is emailed to info@joshsfrogs.com within 3 days of the animal's arrival. When emailing the pictures, please include relavent habitat information, such as average humidity and temperature. A Josh's Frogs representative will then contact the customer and discuss poison dart frog care. Failure to meet these guidelines will void Josh's Frogs Live Arrival and Health Guarantee.